Development and Study of Solid Polymer Electrolyte Based on Polyvinyl Alcohol: Mg(ClO4)2

Magnesium ion-conducting solid polymer electrolytes consisting of polyvinyl alcohol with magnesium perchlorate (Mg(ClO₄)₂) as electrolytic salt have been developed and their experimental investigations are reported. The solid polymer electrolytes have been prepared by well-known solution casting method using double-distilled water as a solvent. The highest room temperature conductivity of the order of 10^?4 S cm^?1 was obtained for the solid polymer electrolyte with the composition 80?mol% polyvinyl alcohol:20?mol% Mg(ClO₄)₂. The pattern of the temperature-dependent conductivity shows Arrhenius behavior. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirms the complex formation of the polymer with the salt. The X-ray diffraction results reveal that the crystalline phase of polymer host has completely changed on the addition of dopant. Differential scanning calorimetry studies show a decrease in melting temperature of the polyvinyl alcohol with the increasing dopant concentration. The real part of dielectric permittivity shows a strong dispersion at lower frequencies, which implies the space charge effects arising from the electrodes. The loss tangent spectrum reveals that the jumping probability per unit time decreases with the increasing salt concentration. The total ionic transference number measured has been found to be in the range of 0.92–0.94 for all the polymer electrolyte systems. The result reveals that the conducting species are predominantly ions. The solid polymer electrolyte with highest conductivity showed an electrochemical stability of 2?V. The results obtained by cyclic voltammetry on stainless steel/solid polymer electrolyte/stainless steel, Mg/solid polymer electrolyte/Mg symmetrical cells show evidence for reversibility.     

An assessment of decarbonization in the strategic Indian electricity generation sector

With an eye to addressing climate change concerns while also meeting the demands of continued economic growth, the Indian electricity generation sector can achieve a cumulative reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 24 GtCo₂ and hydrocarbon imports by US$730 billion during the period 2015–2047. This transformation will require a capital outlay of US$1.16 trillion and a total land requirement of 22,200 km².     

Distribution of Heavy Metals in the Marine Sediments of Various Sites in Karaichalli Island,Tuticorin, Gulf of Mannar,India

The study of heavy metals in the sediments of coral islands is significant in understanding the distribution levels and the cause of anthropogenic impacts along the marine environment. A large number of heavy metals is discharged through domestic and industrial effluents along the coastal area of the southeast coast of India. In this work the sediments from Karaichalli island of Tuticorin were collected and the samples subjected to a total digestion technique and major and trace elements concentration estimated. To interpret and assess the contamination status for heavy metals in sediments, four metal pollution indices were assessed using a enrichment factor, a geo-accumulation index, contamination factor and pollution load index. The results were treated with SPSS 16.0 software for statistical analysis like Correlation matrix and Principal component analysis. The average metal accumulation levels in coral samples of the study area is in the following order: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Ni > Pb > Cr > Cd > As > Co.